LENEXA, Kan. — When Bruce Rieke, the owner of B.L. Rieke Custom Homes in Lenexa, Kansas, meets with a client, there are three new points on the person’s checklist and they all revolve around COVID-19.
Rieke said customers now ask him about including a home office, better WiFi connectivity and air filtration.
As the pandemic forces more people to work from home, even on a part-time basis, homeowners want a private space to do their work.
Rieke said some people even want two office spaces: one in a full-blown room and a smaller “pocket” office tucked away in a utility room or closet-like space.
“Sometimes you’ll see those with more windows in the offices. Maybe they’ve got some playground or pool or whatever in the backyard, so it kinda makes it so they can watch the kids and still be in the office and/or it feels good to be able to see your fun place while you’re working,” Rieke explained.
He said many new houses incorporate concrete and steel in the building material which can block a WiFi signal, particularly from the floor with the router to a separate level of the house. Rieke suggests using wired internet connections, installing multiple wireless routers or reconsidering how you want to design your custom home so it uses less steel.
Lastly, Rieke said people are concerned about an airborne virus in their home if they and their families are working, living and playing in the home more than ever. He said some clients want to install hospital-grade air filtration systems that kill germs in the air.
Ashlar Homes builds more speculative homes than custom homes. The owner, Shawn Woods, said he watches custom homes for trends. So if offices, connectivity and filtration catch on, he’ll begin incorporating all three into his home design, too.
If you’re not in the market to buy or build a new home, Karen Mills of Interiors By Design offered some tips on how to create a functional office in your current home set-up.
- Organization is key.
- Consider using a rolling cabinet to store work documents and move your work out of the way when you finish for the day.
- Make sure you have a desk or tabletop in your office.
- Choose to set up your office in a room you don’t use often.
- Choose a room that makes you happy, whether it’s the porch, the kitchen or the living room.
- Your bedroom should be your last choice for a home office because you want to separate sleep from work.
